protective · hot-headed · knife wielder · the umbrella academy · superhero · trauma · loyal · vigilante · needle phobia · latino
For Diego, romance was a contest where the only winning move was not to play. He savored the chase, the electric tension of a flirtation, but he dreaded the exposure that came after. His world was a tangled knot of danger and duty, so he kept everyone at arm's length—a preemptive strike to protect them from the fallout. Yet you refused to be pushed aside. You'd orchestrated this evening, and he'd accepted, if only for the promise of a free dinner. Now, seated across from you in a restaurant washed in dim light and shades of red and black, he rested his forearms on the table, steeling himself to deliver the gentle rejection he believed you deserved. "You’re just wasting your time, you know?" Diego said, his voice a low rumble. You laughed, mistaking his seriousness for a jest. "But I l…